Floor waxer



Jan. 22, 1963 w. A. SHERBONDY 3,074,100

FLOOR WAXER Filed July 2'7, 1959 INVENT OR.

WILLIAM A. SHERBONDY BY 7 D ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,7i,1 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 3,074,100 FLQGR WAXER William A. Sherhondy, 2517 Guiltord Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Filed July 27, B59, Ser. No. 829,663 4 Claims. (Cl. -569) The present invention relates generally as indicated to a floor waxer and more particularly to a floor waxer which is designed to use the original can of liquid floor wax or the like as the reservoir from which the wax is dispensed directly onto the applicator pad of the waxer.

In known floor waxing devices, it is one common practice to provide a separate reservoir in the head of the device into which the liquid floor wax is poured from its original container. Needless to say, the reservoir fill ing job is a messy one, and moreover, it is not possible to control the extent of the soaking of the applicator pad with the wax whereby the pad will be soaked with either too much or too little wax to properly wax and polish the floors. Then, there is the job of repeated filling of the reservoir when large floor areas are being waxed and polished and the further job of disposing of the excess wax remaining in the reservoir after the waxing operation has been completed.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a valved floor waxer in which an original can of liquid floor wax is employed as the receptacle from which the wax is discharged, as and when needed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a floor waxer of the character indicated in which the wax is dispensed through a manually operated valve whereby any desired quantity of wax may be dispensed, as and when needed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a floor waxer which has a can holder arranged to receive the pouring spout of the can of wax and to hold the can by its spout in downwardly inclined position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a floor waxer of the character indicated for use with a screw cap type wax container in which the threaded pouring spout of the can is simply pushed into an elastic cup and the latter is contracted into gripping and healing contact with the spout.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a novel form of wax applying pad and mounting means therefor.

()ther objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description pro-- ceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features here inafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail an illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various Ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view showing one form of my improved fioor waxer which is adapted to mount a conventional cylindrical screw-cap type of liquid wax container;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view, partly in section, as viewed from the left-hand side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view taken substantially along the line 33, FIG. 2, showing in detail the valve mechanism which controls the dispensing of the liquid wax from the can onto the applicator pad;

FIG. 4 is another view of the valve mechanism as viewed along the line 4-4, FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation view of the handle of the floor waxer as viewed along line 5-5, FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modification in the control valve mechanism.

Referring now in detail to the several figures of the drawing, the floor waxer herein disclosed comprises a generally rectangular housing or head 1 carrying an applicator pad 2 which is adapted to be soaked with liquid floor wax for application to a floor upon to and fro movement of the pad 2 while in contact with the floor. Secured to said head 1 is a handle 3 by which the head 1 is thus manipulated back and forth to perform the floor waxing and polishing operations.

The applicator pad 2 is preferably of porous or cellular material, which is sponge-like in character. Thus, materials such as natural sponge, sponge rubber, plastic foam materials, eg polyurethane, and polyvinyl chloride, etc., have been found suited for use as the liquid wax applicator pad 2. The pad 2 herein is of rectangular block form formed with a peripheral groove 4 in which is engaged the unturned flange 5 of the pad holder 6. The pad holder 6, in turn, is detachably mounted on the head 1 proper as by means of the inward protuberances 7 of the downturned front and rear flanges 9 of head 1 that snap into complementary depressions formed in the upturned front and rear flanges 8 of holder 6.

Secured on the top of the head as by tongue 10 and sheet metal screws 11 is the part 12 which is provided with (1) a pair of bosses 14 to which are rigidly secured the lower parallel legs 15 of the handle 3 and which assist in supporting the can C, the upper ends 16 of said legs 15 being deformed to generally semi-circular form so as to be a force fit in the handle 3; (2) a can holder 17 which is in the form of an elastic cup into which the threaded pouring spout 18 of a can C of liquid floor Wax is inserted, the spout 18 being tightly gripped and sealed in said holder 17 as by turning the thumb screw 19 of the contractible hose clamp 21 and (3) a manually operated valve assembly 21 to control the flow of wax from the can C onto the top exposed surface of the applicator pad 2.

The legs 15 serve to steady the mounting of the can C regardless of whether the can is long or short, or is of pint or quart size, or is of cylindrical, rectangular or other shape.

The can holder 17 is preferably made of rubber-like material so as to snugly receive the threaded pouring spout 18 of the can C and in order to tightly grip the can C by its spout a contractible hose clamp 20 is disposed about the mouth of said holder 17. The holder 17 may be formed with a flange 17 to retain the clamp 21 against loss or falling off the holder when loose. The holder 17 is mounted on the head part 12 as by means of the tubular bushing 26 that is formed with a flange 27 overlying the margin of the opening in the bottom of the holder 1'7. The lower end of the bushing 26 is flared out to overlie the margin of the opening in the part 12, the flared end of said bushing constituting the seat 28 for the valve assembly 21.

The valve assembly 21 previously referred to comprises a movable valve member 29 which is guided between the ribs 30 of the part 12 for movement of the rubberlike sealing member 31 into and out of engagement with the seat 28, the member 29 being thus moved by turning the serrated knob 32 in opposite directions. The knob 32 is mounted on a stem 34 that is rotatably supported by the part 12, the stem being formed with an eccentrically disposed disc 35 engaged between the parallel legs 36 and 37 of the member 29. Interposed between the part 12 and the knob 32 is a spring Washer 38 that serves to yieldably hold the movable valve member 29 in contact 32 may be formed with a pointer or a notch 39 to indicate whether the valve is Open or Closed" and the part 12 may be formed with a stop rib 4%) to stop the valve member 29 in its fully open position. If desired the part 12 maybe formed With'radial indicia 41 to indicate the degree of opening of the valve member 29 so as to predeterminedly control the rate of flow of the wax onto the applicator pad 2.

' In the use of the floor waxer herein, the can C with its screw cap removed will be held in one hand in upright position and with the waxer in inverted position (the end of handle 3 resting on the floor), the spout 18 is inserted into the cup-shaped holder 17. Then, with the other hand, the hose clamp 20 is tightened to securely grip the can C and to seal the spout 18. The waxer can then be turned over to operating position as shown in FIG. 1. When it is desired to wax and polish the floor, all that one has to do is to turn the knob 32 from Closed" position toward Open position whereupon the wax flows or drips through the bushing 26 directly onto the exposed surface of the applicator pad 2, clearing the opening 42 in the head 1. By reason of the porous or cellular nature of the pad 2 the wax is quickly and uniformly distributed through the pad by capillary action for ap plication to the floor. The valve assembly 21 may be opened or closed as desired to provide the proper amount of wax in the pad 2. In any event when the waxing and polishing operation'has been completed, the valve assembly 21 is closed and the pad 2 may be removed from the holder 6 for rinsing out and squeezing and reinserted in the holder ready'for use the next time. If desired,

the holder 6 and pad 2 may be removed as a unit from It is the head 1 for cleaning or replacement of the pad. also contemplated to use a special polishing pad of felt, cotton, or the-like, which can be interchanged for the sponge-like pad 2. However, it has been found that the pad 2 herein is well suited for both wax application and for polishing.

As indicated, the modification in construction illustrated in FIG. 6 relates to the means for activating the valve whereby flow of wax from the can (or rather from the elastic cup into which the can spout 18 is fitted) may be controlled. The valve or sealing member 31 is here engaged directly by one end of a rocker 43, which is normally actuated by a spring 46 to retain the valve in seated position. The other end of the rocker is accessible to be pressed by a finger of the operator, so as to open the valve and permit a desired limited flow of wax onto the pad.

In this case the pad 47 is cemented to a retainer 48 and is slid in endwise into the head 49 with the lips 50 and 51 engaging the grooves along the front and rear sides of the pad 47. The retainer and pad are preferably formed with openings 52 and 53 through which the wax flows onto the floor surface to be waxed or polished.

For convenience in opening the valve 31, the rocker may have attached thereto a wire or rod 54 that extends through the waxer handle or therealong and that is formed with a finger loop (not shown) at or near the upper end of the handle.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A floor waxer comprising an elongated, relatively thin generally rectangular waxing head including a porous applicator pad at the bottom adapted to be moved in head having an inclined upper face, and an obliquely Q upwardly extending handle disposed generally perpendicular to such inclined face and secured to said projection; a cup-shaped resilient can holder also secured on said projection extending generally perpendicular to such inclined face and disposed to receive the pouring spout of a can containing liquid floor Wax in inverted tilted position generally parallel to said handle for flow of wax from the can onto a top exposed surface of said applicator pad inside said waxing head; a flanged tubular bushing extending through the bottom of said cup-shaped can holder and securing said can holder to said projection of said head and providing a passage through which the wax flows as aforesaid; a valve member movably supported in the projection of said head adapted to be moved to open and close such passage through said tubular bushing; and a contractible hose clamp disposed around the rim of said can holder adapted to be contracted so as to resiliently deform said can holder into firm fluidtight contact around the spout of such can.

2. The floor waxer according to claim 1 further characterized in that said can holder is formed with a peripheral flange for retaining said hose clamp against inadvertent removal from said can holder.

3. The floor waxer according to claim 1 characterized further in that a valve operating member is rotatably mounted on another and oppositely inclined upper face of said projection of said head; said valve operating member being interconnected to said valve member to move the latter between passage opening and passage closing positions in response to rotation of said valve operating member in opposite directions.

4. A floor waxer comprising a cellular wax dispersal pad having an upper supply surface and a lower wax applying and dispersal surface, the cellular structure of the pad providing wax supplying communication between the surfaces, cover members connected to said pad and defining a Wax supply chamber in communication with said upper supply surface, a handle secured to the cover members and extending obliquely upwardly, a tubular wax supply element connected to the cover members and including an outlet opening in fluid supplying communication with said chamber, said element including deformable means for connecting a vessel of one of a variety of sizes thereto, a body closing the supply element opening, a movable member connected to the body and movable with the body toward and away from the supply element from an open to a closed position and return, rotatable eccentric means carried by one of the chamber members and coacting with the movable member to cause rectilinear movement of the movable member upon rotation of the eccentric means, and said movable member including means coacting with the chamber members to limit the relative movement thereof to such rectilinear movement.

References (Lited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 806,970 Gold Dec. 12, 1905 928,874 Morgan July 20, 1909 1,171,000 Skillrnan Feb. 8, 1916 1,738,690 Brumbaugh Dec. 10, 1929 2,307,858 Rufo Jan. 12, 1943 2,361,407 McNair Oct. 31, 1944 2,566,429 Schulman Sept. 4, 1951 2,575,124 Pollitt Nov. 13, 1951 2,618,799 Barbato Nov. 25, 1952 2,839,770 Boscarino June 24, 1958 

4. A FLOOR WAXER COMPRISING A CELLULAR WAX DISPERSAL PAD HAVING AN UPPER SUPPLY SURFACE AND A LOWER WAX APPLYING AND DISPERSAL SURFACE, THE CELLULAR STRUCTURE OF THE PAD PROVIDING WAX SUPPLYING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SURFACES, COVER MEMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID PAD AND DEFINING A WAX SUPPLY CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID UPPER SUPPLY SURFACE, A HANDLE SECURED TO THE COVER MEMBERS AND EXTENDING OBLIQUELY UPWARDLY, A TUBULAR WAX SUPPLY ELEMENT CONNECTED TO THE COVER MEMBERS AND INCLUDING AN OUTLET OPENING IN FLUID SUPPLYING COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER, SAID ELEMENT INCLUDING DEFORMABLE MEANS FOR CONNECTING A VESSEL OF ONE OF A VARIETY OF SIZES THERETO, A BODY CLOSING THE SUPPLY ELEMENT OPENING, A MOVABLE MEMBER CONNECTED TO THE BODY AND MOVABLE WITH THE BODY TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE SUPPLY ELEMENT FROM AN OPEN TO A CLOSED POSITION AND RETURN, ROTATABLE ECCENTRIC MEANS CARRIED BY ONE OF THE CHAMBER MEMBERS AND COACTING WITH THE MOVABLE MEMBER TO CAUSE RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE MEMBER UPON ROTATION OF THE ECCENTRIC MEANS, AND SAID MOVABLE MEMBER INCLUDING MEANS COACTING WITH THE CHAMBER MEMBERS TO LIMIT THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREOF TO SUCH RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT. 